Gauchos finish 15th at Fresno State Lexus Classic

Mar 11, 2009

March 11, 2009

Fresno, Calif. -
The UC Santa Barbara encountered a pristine Belmont Country Club at Monday and Tuesday's Fresno State Lexus Classic, posting a season-high team score of 41-over par 905, good enough for 15th place.

The University of Washington won the tournament with a 1-over 865. Host Fresno State finished second, five shots off the leader. UC Davis and UC Irvine rounded off the top three, both scoring a 12-over 876. Ramie Sprinkling of UC Davis took medalist honors with a 4-under 212 thanks in large part to a 68 in the first round and a 69 in the final round.

Junior Brian Hollenbeck led the Gauchos with a 9-over 225. Hollenbeck, who currently leads UCSB in per-round average, recovered from a 79 in the first round by posting scores of 72 and 74 to finish out the tournament.

Tony Verna finished in a tie for 53rd place, two shots behind Hollenbeck. Playing in his first tournament of the season for UCSB, Kei Kita had a 16-over 232. Tyler Weir also had a 232, good enough for an 86th place tie.

Andrew Gunson finished the first two rounds in tenth place at 145 after posting totals of 74 and 71. However, Gunson was disqualified from round three, forcing the Gauchos to drop their lowest score from the first day. UCSB dropped five slots on the last day to fifteenth-place.

UCSB is still searching for a solid replacement for the injured Matt Grush, rotating various 5th men while searching for the right fit. Grush's 73.00 scoring average is second-best on the UCSB squad.

UCSB Golf's next tournament of the young spring season will take place in three weeks, Mar. 29 - Mar. 31 at the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Country Club in Santa Cruz, Calif.